Murphy's Law
by darkdestiney2000
Summary: How would things have gone if Bobby, Angel, Jerry, and Jack had a younger sister? Please rr!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

A/N: I wasn't sure if you guys would like this or not, but I decided to write it anyway. Oh, I'm sort of second guessing myself because a couple of people posted some stories about if they had a sister. I'll just put this one up and if you like it I'll add more. And I decided to put up a small bio about Ashley.

Full name: Ashley Lynn Mercer

Nickname: Ash

Hair: Light brown, almost blonde

Eyes: Dark Brown

Age: 18

Other stuff: She's closest to Jack because they're very close in age and had almost the same background. Ashley is about medium height and muscular. She's plays on a co-ed hockey team. Became a diabetic at 12.

Okay on to the story!

Ashley's POV

Murphy's Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. Well, I really didn't believe that until this past week, the week my life came crashing down around me. My brother Jack has always had this fear of being too happy. He says that every time his life starts to go well bad things happen. I used to call him crazy, but now I believe him. But you'd have to know the whole story to understand.

Things went wrong from the moment I got out of Julie's blue pick-up. Practice had just ended and there was no way I could have walked home, like I'd planned.

"Do you need help getting to the door? Can you get up the steps?" Julie asked after stopping in front of my house. Julie has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She doesn't play hockey but I got lucky today, her study group let out late. After seeing me hobble out of the locker room she commanded me to get into the truck. I didn't argue because I felt bad enough and it was dark outside.

Detroit is not somewhere you want to be after dark. The gangs and criminals come out at night and I knew that I would be the prime target to someone wanting some action. Normally I can take care of myself but tonight I was hurt and made the stupid mistake of not eating before practice, my sugar was low.

Practice was harder than usual and I got hurt an hour in. It's not the hardest I've been hurt but I couldn't walk very well.

"I'll be ok. Thanks for giving me a ride, Jules." She gave me a smile and waited for me to make it in the door before leaving. That's another thing about living in a bad neighborhood; you don't just drop someone off. Julie was a pretty smart girl, a little naïve but then again she hasn't been through what I have. I'm the youngest Mercer criminal, except I'm not as bad as my brothers. I just came from a bad family and shut everyone out. That's not to say I wasn't rebellious, but not as bad as Angel or Bobby.

Just thinking about my brothers made me smile, they were great. A little rough and dangerous but they'd do anything for you. Like I said I'm the youngest and the most protected, well me and Jack. Jack is about 2 years older than me and we're the closest. I loved all of my brothers but Jack was the only one that gave me my space. Bobby and Angel were so protective that for a while I truly hated them. But after a particular incident I realized they only did it because they loved me.

**Flashback**

**"I said you can't go!" Bobby roared at me. It was a Friday night and I had been planning on going to a party. By this time I was livid and everyone in the house had heard us and came to investigate. **

**"Mom told me last week that I could go!" I shouted back, ready for a fight with him. The argument had only started a few minutes ago, when he stopped me from leaving, but I knew it was not going to be pretty.**

**"Well she's not here and I'm in charge. So the answer is no." He played the older brother/ I'm in charge card. That made me even angrier. Mom wasn't home at the moment. One of the women from church had gotten really sick and Ma went to be with her and wait for her family to arrive. She wouldn't be back 'til late.**

**"That's not fair!" I cried. "You guys went to parties when you were my age." Bobby shrugged, a way of saying 'So we're older and I'm not letting you go.'**

**"Oh, let her go Bobby." Jack stood by my side. I gave him a smile while Bobby glared at him.**

**"Stay out of it, Fairy. You** **know how wild those parties can get**. **It's no place for a fourteen-year-old." I was about to shoot something back when Jack beat me to it.**

**"You guys went to them when you were 13." **

**"I don't care. And another thing, what are you wearing?" Bobby asked me. I looked at my clothes, they weren't bad. I had on a pair of tight blue jeans and a red spaghetti strap shirt.**

**"I'm barely showing skin! There are plenty of girls who wear less." I pointed out. That's when Angel stepped in.**

**"Those girls aren't our sister." **

**"THANK YOU! Someone who speaks reason." Bobby lifted his hands in the air, like he was hugging God. **

**"And you have on too much make-up." Angel pointed to my face.**

**"I just have on lip-gloss and glitter." I growled. They both gave me identical shrugs. "Ok Jerry, where do you stand on this one?" I drug him into the fight.**

**"I'll have to side with Bobby and Angel. You're too young to go to one of Hunter Jamison's parties." I growled in defeat and stomped upstairs.**

**"Make a little more noise!" Bobby yelled up the stairs, I grabbed Jerry's book that was on the stairs and hurtled it at Bobby. He ducked just in time and I stormed off to my room. My room was in the attic, but I slammed the door hard enough that it rattled the whole house. I could faintly hear Jack's voice; he was fighting with the other three. **

**I was pacing my room when Jack came in, looking defeated. "I'm sorry Ash." **

**"It least you stuck up for me." He sat on my bed and I went to join him. **

**"Just for the record, you looked good." I smiled at him; he was just trying to be nice. **

**"Thanks. But this sucks! I can take care of myself." **

**"I know you can." I flung myself back on my bed and sighed deeply.**

**"Jason was going to meet me there. He said he was happy I would be there." I softly said and thought about Jason. He was a cute 16 year old that I was crazy about and he had talked to me. "Would you cover for me?" I sat up and asked.**

**Jack sighed, he hated that I snuck out and got worried. "Will you be back by midnight?" **

**I squealed and jumped into his arms. "I will be back before 12. Promise." **

**"You swear?" **

**"Swear."**

**"Pinky swear?" He stuck out his pinky. I hooked my pinky in his and he nodded in approval. "Okay, now how are we going to get you out? Ground level is out of the question."**

**"I can shinny down the drain pipe." **

**"But to get to the drain pipe you'll have to go through Bobby and Jerry's window." I shrugged and he nodded. "I'll leave the back door unlocked so you can get in. They should be upstairs by then." **

**A half hour later I was at the party and dancing with Jason. It made me laugh, thinking about how Bobby didn't have a clue I was out. I had told Jason the story and he promised to give me a ride home, or most of the way home. He'd drop me off at the corner so I wouldn't get caught. **

**"Are you thirsty?" Jason yelled over the loud Guns n' Roses music and I nodded to him. He left to get me a drink and I thought about the advice Jack had given me earlier. He had told me not to set my drink down and that if I did, not to drink out of it again. You never know what someone will do to your drink. Jason came back with a couple of beers and we walked outside to talk.**

**"I'm really happy you came. It wouldn't be a party if you weren't here." My cheek grew warm and I was happy it was dark. **

**"I'm having a good time." I told him and a silence filled over us. I took another drink of the beer and realized it was already half way gone. Had I drank that much already? When I went to look up Jason pulled me into a kiss and I didn't pull back. After a few minutes we pulled apart and everything was dizzy.**

**The dizziness hadn't come from the kiss. But it was weird because I'd checked my sugar level before leaving, it was fine. I dropped the beer bottle and went to grab it before it smashed, but I couldn't move. My arms wouldn't work. I looked up horrified.**

**"Jason, my arms… something's wrong with them. I can't move." He smiled an evil smile at me and began to kiss me again, harder this time. I tried to cry out but no one heard me. The music was too loud and my mouth wasn't working right. **

**That's when health class information popped into my head. He'd slipped me something. I couldn't move, he was on top of me and memories from my past flooded my mind. I began to cry but to someone passing by it would look like nothing. My mind began to get hazy when Jason was suddenly jerked off of me. **

**It was Bobby and Angel. I tried to talk to them but mylips felt glued together and I looked around to see Jerry and Jack pushing their way through the crowd. They rushed over to me and started asking me questions. I couldn't say anything. Jerry was the first to figure it out, his concerned eyes turned to hatred at once and he went to Bobby and Angel, they were beating up Jason. **

**"What did you give her?" He roared and my other brothers stopped in shock.**

**"He slipped her something?" Angel gaped. Jerry nodded and Bobby came back to me. He pushed my hair out of my face.**

**"Jack, take her to the car. We'll be there in a minute." Jack wasn't about to argue with Bobby. He just hoisted my thin, fragile body in his arms and took me to Bobby's car, laying me down in the backseat. **

* * *

**When I woke I was in my bed. My brothers were asleep in there too. Well most of them. Jack was curled up on the floor with his head on Angel's stomach. Jerry had passed out on the edge of my bed. Bobby was awake and I didn't notice he was there until he took off the blanket he'd been curled up in and gently laid it over Jack and Angel. **

**Jack stirred a little but slumbered on and curled into a ball. Bobby smirked at them and looked at me. Jumping when he saw I was awake. **

**"Hey, Sweetie. How are you feeling?" He sat on my bed. I shrugged slightly and felt tears come to my eyes.**

**"I'm sorry Bobby. I'm so sorry. It's my entire fault. I deserved what happened." The tears came freely now. He pulled me into a hug and tried to calm me down.**

**"That was not your fault." He told me firmly. "I was so worried last night."**

**"I shouldn't have snuck out. Wait. How did you know I was gone?" **

**"Jack got worried when you didn't come home on time. He told us everything. I nearly killed him when I found out he covered for you." He smiled at the memory. **

**"Well did you take your anger out on Jason last night?" I asked. His smile grew.**

**"Yup. I'd be surprised if he ever blinks your way again."**

**"So how mad is Ma?" **

**"She's still not back. Mrs. Ronda's family can't come in until tomorrow so she'll be up there for a while."**

**"You're not going to tell on me?" I was shocked.**

**"No way. You're not the only one to screw up in this family and you won't be the last." From that point on I was grateful for how protective Bobby and Angel are.**

**End of Flashback**

I broke away from my thought when I walked it thehouse to find that no one was home. That was weird because Ma didn't have to work late. I limped into the kitchen and found a note.

_Went to get turkey for Thanksgiving. Please put a couple of extrablankets on Jack's bed. He'll be in tomorrow. _

_I love you,_

_Mom_

How could I forget? Jack was coming in for the holiday. He was pretty good about that, always in for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Smiling at the thought of seeing my brother, I went up stairs to get a shower and fix up Jack's room. It didn't really need fixing up because Ma never touched anything. She went in to dust but that was it. But Jack always got cold easily so I put in a few spare blankets and went downstairs to see that Mom was still away.

My stomach began to feel uneasy and I checked my sugar to find out it was low. After eating a candy bar, I lay down on the couch and watched some TV. There was a hockey game on. I fell asleep watching the players skate back and forth on the ice.

RING

RING

RING

Nearly jumping out of my skin, I ran (well kinda ran) to get the phone. I checked the clock to see it was just before midnight. Ma still wasn't home.

"Hello?" My voice was groggy from sleep.

"Ashley?" It was Jerry but his voice was weird too. Why was his voice weird? And why was he calling this late?

"Jerry? What's wrong? Are you guys ok?" A sick worry feeling filled my stomach and I started to get scared.

"Ash…there has been an accident…"

A/N: I know it was a bit of a cliffhanger but I thought that was long enough. Once again I'm not trying to take anyone's idea. Please don't hate me! And please r/r!


	2. AN

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

A/N: Ok, at this point I feel really bad because you guys gave me 20 reviews and I haven't updated forever! I'm really sorry, soccer is over now but for a while I was having at least three games a week.

Oh and does anyone know the ages of Jerry's daughters? I have no clue. I only saw the movie once and I'm not sure who's older. I have to know for the next chapter. I promise to update when I can. I have an idea for the next chapter but I don't remember all that happened in the movie so if anyone knows please tell me.

One more thing, I just realized how many stories I have so it's up to you guys on this, I can either write really long chapters over a long period of time or really short ones as much as possible. It's up to you guys.

Thanks to: **nighttime writer, ChaiGrl, Stardina, Sparkl0413, Angel871, Ephona, Katie, Lovebuggy, The Mercer Sister, Chloe, GalahadsGurl, Shinbusta mk3a, Aragorn4ever, Babiixmahal, Elven- Princess Ginny, Skye Mercer, Dreamer84, and Serious Fan.**

To answer a lot of people's questions: I'm not sure where Jack's coming back from or where Bobby's at or anything like that. I just wanted to get chapter one up but when I figure it out you guys will be the first to know.


	3. Jerry's House

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Thank you guys for the great reviews. They really, really helped. I got two votes for long chapters and one for short ones so I'm going with long chapters. Or as long as I can without going too far. No school today because it snowed a lot and the roads are bad. Anyways, next chapter! I hope you like it.

Ashley's POV

Knock Knock Knock 

I couldn't move from the couch, but it didn't matter because Jerry has a key to get in. Camille and him insisted that I stay the night at their house; maybe they thought I would go back to my old ways.

The shock of Mom's death was yet to set in and at that moment I sat on the couch trying to clear my mind. Shootings happen all the time in Detroit but I never thought it would happen to us. I should have known better. As Jack would say, things were going too well. Everyone was happy for too long. Mom, Jack, and I were, at least.

The screen door screeched open and footsteps came to the living room. The lights flickered on and I turned my head to see Camille standing in the doorway. She was trying to hide her tears for me; perhaps she felt she had to be strong for me.

"Are you ready sweetheart?" She moved closer and pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I shrugged but got up and she handed me my coat. I went to walk out of the door but she stopped me. "You can stay as long as you like. You know that right?"

I gave her a faint smile, "Yeah I know." She hugged me and then we left.

The ride to their house was shorter than usual and the only noise was the radio that automatically came on. Snow had begun to fall and Mom's voice came to my mind. She always worried about us. Bobby even went as far as to say she had WW (Worry Wart) Syndrome. I can still hear her voice on those cold days.

_"Ashley, where did you put your scarf? You're not taking a step outside without it on."_

It got to a point where we would see who could sneak out with the least amount of clothes on. I giggled at that thought, one day Angel managed to creep out of the back door with just boxers on. Then Mom saw him walk around the corner of the house and was so shocked the iced tea she was drinking came out her nose.

Tears welled in my eyes; I would never hear her sweet giggles and laughter again. Whoever said remembering the good times would help lied. The memories don't help! They make you hurt because you know that there won't be any new ones. Mom wouldn't live to see her grandchildren grow up and have babies of their own. She wouldn't be at my wedding like she promised. She wouldn't sit in the front row of Jack's first big concert like she promised.

If you've lost a loved one you know how bad this hurts. Your heart wants the knife to be taken out. Your stomach feels like it's going to fall out. It's unbearable. If you live a life with everyone in your family and nothing happens, no deaths, you can't begin to imagine the pain. You don't truly feel lost until you loose someone who is close to you.

Jerry greeted me with a warm loving hug and brotherly kiss. "Sorry I didn't pick you up. I was talking with the police and trying to get a hold of everyone."

"Have you called…?"

"Jack's at a gig. And I don't know where Angel is. Bobby, well, I'm trying Ash." I nodded. "Why don't you sleep in our bed tonight?"

"Eww…I'm not sleeping in that bed, Jerry. I have two nieces, and I know what you two have done in that bed." That made them both laugh.

"Gosh you are like Bobby more and more each day." Camille joked. "Don't worry nothing has happened in that bed yet, remember we got a bed room set a few weeks ago."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Where are you going to sleep?" I asked him.

"I haven't talked to Jack or anyone else. And the police are coming back later. I have to go to the morgue to ID her…the list is endless."

"If the police talked to you earlier why do you have to ID her?" Camille asked as she turned the heat up.

Jerry shrugged and put his head in his hands. "Why don't I help you? I could go to the hospital and…" Jerry shook his head. "No." He said firmly.

"Why not?" I exclaimed.

"You don't need to see her like that."

"But-"

"He's right sweetheart. You should stay here. And by the way what's wrong with your leg?" Jerry's wife asked and my brother nodded, a way of showing he wanted to know what was wrong.

"It's nothing. I got hurt in practice." I waved it off like it was nothing but to tell you the truth it really was hurting at this point.

"Let me take a look at it." I sighed, not in the mood to fight, and rolled up the pant long on my pajama bottoms. My knee was swollen and a beautiful shade of yellow and green.

"Oh yes, that's nothing." Jerry rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to grab some ice. Camille rubbed my back again and I laid my head on the table, sleep was overcoming me again.

"Go lay down on our bed and relax." She told me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I nodded and limped to their room. The bed was unmade so I slipped into one side and a few minutes later Jerry came in with a towel and a bag of ice for my leg.

He handed them to me and I began to ice my knee that at this point was pounding. I was asleep before he left the room.

* * *

I woke when I felt the bed moving. Actually it wasn't the bed that was moving: it was the mattress. My eyes peaked open and I saw my oldest niece lying next to me. I smiled and pulled her close to me. Her little body wriggled until she was comfortable under my arm and then she relaxed.

"Someone died didn't they?" Daniella whispered and that's when I realized she had been crying. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and I couldn't lie. She was a lot smarter then she looked. Both of them are, and it's funny how easily kids catch onto things. It's like they can read minds or they just have the ability to grow up and be little again. Daniella was being a grown up now.

"Is Grandma in heaven?" My heart broke all over again. Mom picked up Daniella and Amelia every day after school and brought them to our house until either Camille or Jerry got off work.

"Yes, baby. She's in heaven. And she misses you and your sister." I pulled her close to me and she clung to me too.

"What will we do now?" She asked and that's when it really sunk in. Mom was gone and she wasn't coming back.

"Maybe I'll pick you up from school. I have my license and maybe I could get you two from school. Well hang out and have fun and you could go to my practice until your parents get off work." That's when she really started to cry. "We'll be ok, baby. It'll be alright."

"Will they take you away? Like they took Annie away?"

"What are you talking about? Who is Annie?" I asked and wiped her tears away. She sat up and rubbed her tear-streaked face on my shirt.

"The orphan Annie. The movie you got me when I went to the doctor and didn't cry when they took my blood from me."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked her.

"You don't have any parents. Will they throw you in an orphanage and make you clean the floors?" She started to cry again. In all truth I didn't know what would happen to me. That scared me but I had to put on a brave face.

"I'm not sure but don't worry, I'm stronger then Mrs. Hannigan I can take her and her brother." She giggled at that.

"Well, Rooster is a stupid name." I laughed at her. She curled closer to me then rolled away real fast. "Auntie Ashlee isn't you a little old to be wetting the bed?"

"What?" I pulled the covers back to find that the bag of ice had broke that my half of the bed was soaked. "Oh no." I groaned.

"Oh ok. That wasn't you." I moved to the other side of the bed with her and we fell asleep almost at once.

* * *

When I woke up, my oldest niece had curled into a ball against me and the youngest was on both of us. I untangled myself from them and left the room.

Jerry was still awake and sitting at the kitchen table pounding on the calculator. Camille was asleep on the couch with a flannel blanket draped over her. "Hey sleepyhead."

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked and poured orange juice for both of us.

"No." He stopped cramming numbers when I sat down and slid the glass to him. "But I did get a hold of Jack. He's bus will be coming in later tonight."

"That's good. Is there anything I can help with?" I asked and drank deeply. He shook his head.

"Not at the moment. But could you take the kids out later? We haven't told them yet."

"You only need to tell Amelia." He looked at me funny. "Daniella knows. She asked me last night if she was in heaven and I told her yes."

"Oh, how did she take it?"

"How do you think she took it? She just found out that her Granny died." Jerry rubbed his eyes again and sighed. "Don't worry. We talked and she seems ok. She understands. Do you want me to tell Amelia?"

"No that's ok. We should explain this to them?" His last comment shook me.

"Jerry, I wouldn't have told her but she asked. She wanted to know. I couldn't not tell her. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I know you hadn't planed to tell her. How's your leg?" He changed the subject.

"Well, how long does it take to dry a mattress?"

"What?"

* * *

I took the girls to the park and a movie later that day so Jerry could get things straightened out and Camille could clean the house up some. Amelia was tried when we came back so I put her down for a nap and asked Daniella that play quietly or watch a movie so I could help Camille. She settled for watching Annie and that made me think about last night.

Camille was in the kitchen washing dishes when I came in. "Thanks for taking them Ashley."

"Don't worry they were perfect angels and sorry about the your mattress." She laughed softly.

"It'll dry out. Do me a favor, sweetheart. Dry those dishes and put them away." There was a pile of clean dishes the size of Mt. Everest.

"How do you guys go through so many dishes?" She shrugged and smiled. "Have you heard from Jack?"

"No, not yet."

"Oh." She heard my tone and hugged me again.

"Don't worry, he's coming."

"Camille?"

"Yeah?"

"Where will I go? Will I go back into the system?" She stopped washing dishes and looked at me.

"We won't let them put you back in the system. Evelyn adopted you; you're here to stay. We'll figure something out..." She would have gone on but Ann, Camille's Mother, interrupted us.

"The girls are staying with my parents tonight." Ann walked in and gave me a hug right off the bat. I've always gotten along with her.

"I'm so sorry dear. Your Mom was a Saint." _Is a Saint. _I corrected her in my mind. I gave her a smile. "Do you two need a helping hand?"

"Actually, we are almost done. Amelia is sleeping and Daniella is watching TV." Camille and Ann left to get the girl ready while I finished putting the dishes away. I didn't mind. Cleaning helps keep my mind off of things.

* * *

The bed was dry by 8:00 later that night and Jerry and Camille went to bed early. I took the couch and was still awake at ten after one. I just kept thinking about what Ann had said, Mom was a Saint. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her say that. Just because she was gone doesn't mean…heck I didn't know what to think! She's still my mother. The only one I've ever had. Patty and Brad were never my parents. They were a nightmare.

I continued to think about that until I heard the jiggling of the front door handle. Someone was trying to get in. I searched franticly around for a weapon but only came up with one of Amelia's toys I had tripped over earlier. If it hurt to stub my toes on it, surely it would smart if you got hit in the head with it.

Creeping over to the kitchen I hid behind the door just as it swung open. A tall man stepped in carrying a suitcase and shook off his coat. This guy was tall but not real bulky, I could take him. Staying hidden, I watched him grab a glass of water. Wait…how did he know his way around the kitchen? That's when I realized it was Jack.

I slammed the door shut and he was so shocked he dropped the glass: it shattered on the floor. "Jack!" He spun around and gaped when he saw it was I.

"What's going on?" Jerry walked in with a baseball bat. Camille had another toy. I laughed and Jack smiled at them.

"Wow, so this is how you welcome back your favorite brother…"

A/N: Ok that was really long. I hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think!

Thanks to:

OTHlover04: Here's a long chapter for you.

Serious Fan: I hope this wasn't meaningless

Breiscrazy: Thank you so much. That helped a lot!

Typokid: Sorry. I'll try to update when I can

Diesel31: I wish I could have seen the movie three times.

Icy-dropletz: Your story is really good. I'm glad you enjoyed!


	4. Jack

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Ashley's POV

Before another word was spoken, I jumped into Jack's arms and hugged him fiercely. He didn't resist. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed him. Everything about Jack made me comfortable. His hair was soft and shaggy, the way it always had been, but he'd definitely put on some muscle. It made him look good.

When I pulled away I noticed the tears in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them back. He didn't want to cry in front of Jerry. I was the only one he broken down in front of, as a rule. Camille gave him a quick hug and ran off the grab a broom. She and Jack didn't know each other very well, better than she knew Bobby and Angel but they weren't close enough that she'd show a whole lot of affection.

Jerry put an arm around both of us and we formed a big group hug. He rubbed the back of Jack's head in a brotherly way and picked up his suitcase to take it into the living room.

"You two will have to share the couch, unless you want to try to fit into the girl's beds." I smiled at the thought of my six foot brother crammed into Amelia's Disney Princess bed.

"How was the bus ride?" I asked as he hung his coat over a kitchen chair.

"Long, have you gotten a hold of Bobby and Angel?" He started to clean up the water as Camille swept up the broken glass. "Sorry about the broken glass."

"It's alright." Camille yawned and threw the shards of glass away. "Well, I'll talk to you guys in the morning." She went do the hall to their bed room. Jerry told her he'd be there in a minute.

"I left a message at Angel's place but I can't find Bobby." Jerry looked really tired and worn out. "I'm going back to bed. It's good to have you back, Jackie."

Jack was raiding the fridge before Jerry had the bedroom door shut. I slipped back into my place on the fold-out bed, knowing that he would join me when he found something to munch on. We sat in silence as he ate an apple and some animal crackers, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. To those of you how have read The Outsiders, the two of us are like Ponyboy and Johnny, for lack of a better explanation.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm beat." Jack whispered as he returned from the kitchen after throwing away his trash. He crawled onto the lumpy couch and relaxed as I switched the light off. I snuggled into the blankets and sighed, the best night sleep I can get is when I'm with my brothers. "You didn't see it happen did you?"

It took me a second to realize that he was asking whether or not I had been with Mom on the night. "No, I was home. I got the call." Tears in my eyes.

"Good. I wouldn't have wanted you to see that." He threw an arm across my shoulder and rubbed my back. After a minute of silence he started to laugh.

"What?"

"I was just remembering when we got our tongues pierced." We both bust out laughing.

_Flashback_

_My head was pounding. My stomach was rolling. I was 90 sure I would puke and 100 sure I would about to die. Oh yeah, and my tongue hurt. _

_Defying every command in my body, I opened my eyes to reveal Jack's spiky hair. For a second, I thought he was dead. But then a groan escaped from his body somewhere and I knew that although he didn't want to be, he was very much alive. _

"_Jack?"_

_Grunt. _

"_Are we dead?"_

"_No Ash, we couldn't get that lucky." He rolled over to face me and that's when I realized that something was wrong with his speech. _

"_Jack?"_

_Grunt._

"_Does gin burn a hole in your tongue?" He raised an eyebrow._

"_I don't think it can but it feels like there's a hole in my tongue." He drug himself from bed and hobbled over to the mirror hanging on his wall. "Well how did that get there?"_

_I pulled myself from the warm bed and stood by his side. That's when I noticed it. Instead of a full tongue, my brother had a bar bell sticking out of the middle. And only after laughing at him for a few minutes did I realize that I had an identical one inserted in mine. _

_If only you could have seen the pair of us. I, in the dress from the night before with my fish net stockings half off and mascara smeared across my forehead. And him, in an undershirt and leather pants, hair sticking up. _

_Needless to say our laughter alerted everyone in the house and within record time everyone was barging in to see what was so funny. _

"_What is with you two?" Jerry demanded, but had he been the first one in the room like Angel, he would have known. His eyes bugged out at the site of us. _

"_What are you two idiots doing?" Bobby snarled as he charged into the room. Jack and I kept our mouths shut and shook our heads. "What time did you get in?" We shrugged. "Can you answer me with words?!" _

_And that was when we burst out laughing. My oldest brother almost fainted at the sight of my piercing. And after calming down, he and Jerry marched us into the bathroom and made us remove them. Needless to say, I have not had anymore piercings. _

_Flashback_

"You know I still don't remember anything from that night." I giggled.

"Me either. Hey Ash?"

"Huh?"

"I forgot to show you." I turned my head in time to see him stick out his tongue and reveal the new piercing.

"Oh, Bobby will have a fit." I laughed. Then it hit me, Bobby might not see it. Jack realized it too.

"Do you think he'll come back?" He asked me. And I honestly couldn't answer him.


End file.
